Chapter 46 Perhaps the tuition fee should be addressed as "Sir"
Wen Miao's heartstrings were gently plucked by Emperor Qian Yuan's words.
Trembling and hesitant, another strange feeling welled up inside.
Her subconscious told her that she did not have the right to decide how to punish someone, but the reality was that the current emperor had handed this power into her hands.
As if noticing Wen Miao's absent-mindedness, Emperor Qian Yuan casually glanced at the trembling Princess Rui kneeling on the ground, raised his hand to gently stroke Wen Miao's temple, and asked in a low voice once again.
"Does the Empress not want the wicked to get what they deserve?"
For a long time, the emperor secretly observed Wen Miao's entire life through the lens of a dream. He knew that there existed a peace in that fairyland that was completely different from that of the Great Chu, and even different from that of previous dynasties—there were well-ordered and perfect laws, and a strict and solemn official system. It was a paradise that could not exist in the human world.
But Peach Blossom Spring is Peach Blossom Spring, and reality is reality. Emperor Qian Yuan was unsure of Wen Miao's opinion on the imperial power he possessed, so he could only cautiously probe, handing over everything he had in a blatant yet somewhat clumsy way.
He was afraid Wen Miao wouldn't like it.
They were also afraid that Wen Miao might not want it.
But in the brief silence, Emperor Qian Yuan, who was gazing down at Wen Miao, saw her slowly raise her head, meet his eyes, hesitate, lightly bite her lower lip, and ask softly, unsure:
"For example, if I wanted to, what would I do?"
The words were spoken softly, yet they reached everyone's ears clearly.
Princess Rui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong."
She dared not gamble; given Emperor Qianyuan's favor towards the new empress, if he truly wanted to punish her, he would likely subject her to a severe ordeal.
Not only Princess Rui, but also the servants who obeyed her orders and acted like bullies began to kowtow and beg for mercy.
Emperor Qianyuan found the noise bothersome, as it interfered with his listening to the Empress's light breathing. He slightly raised his hand, and the attendants behind him stepped forward and silenced all those who were crying and begging for mercy.
The space in the mountains and forests suddenly became quiet, with only the autumn wind rustling and blowing through the pines and cypresses of Huiling Mountain.
Emperor Qianyuan patiently guided the questioning: "To what extent does the Empress wish to achieve this?"
Wen Miao thought for a moment and then borrowed the emperor's words from before: "Let her... deserve what she got."
Wen Miao couldn't interfere too much in the cause and effect between Princess Rui and Chen Wanqiu. Besides this matter, what she couldn't tolerate even more was that Zhao Shi could use her power to oppress people with just a word, twisting a perfectly good county magistrate's daughter into a lowly status, and inexplicably giving her a status to be mistreated.
According to the laws of the Great Chu, forcing an innocent person to become a lowly person is punishable by hanging. However, Princess Rui's current actions are still missing a "contract of sale." Judging from the way she speaks so skillfully, Wen Miao guesses that this behavior... may not be limited to Chen Wanqiu's time.
In places she never saw, there were probably many other pitiful people like "Chen Wanqiu".
Wen Miao suddenly felt that she should do something—as an empress, a position that inherently possessed special status.
Emperor Qianyuan smiled and said, "I understand."
He raised his hand and waved, and the servants pulled away all the people kneeling on the ground. Wen Miao was still a little confused, but Emperor Qian Yuan took her hand again and turned to walk towards Lingyun Temple.
Wen Miao couldn't help but ask, "Them..."
"Take them away and lock them up first. As for what to do with them—"
Emperor Qianyuan's tone was slightly drawn out as he wrapped his arms around Wen Miao's back, pulling her firmly into his embrace. "I will teach the Empress how to do it."
The royal family has a long-standing tradition of Buddhist worship, and Lingyun Temple had prepared rooms for these nobles in advance. Palace servants were busy tidying up the rooms, while Emperor Qianyuan led Wen Miao to sit behind a screen on the other side. He warmed the hand of the person he was holding and spoke slowly and deliberately:
“Miaomiao, if you want to punish Princess Rui, there are roughly two ways.”
“Using their status to suppress them is one of the reasons.”
"Punish them with evidence, that's the second point."
"The former is convenient and saves time and effort; as for the latter... it takes some time."
Emperor Qianyuan removed the cloak from Wen Miao's shoulders, poured her some warm tea, and leaned down slightly to gaze into the depths of her always gentle, starry eyes.
The Emperor: "If it were the Empress, which one would you choose?"
Wen Miao blinked, took the cup, sipped the tea, and instead of answering, asked, "Is Your Majesty asking a question you already know the answer to?"
Emperor Qianyuan smiled and simply said, "I understand."
He then asked, "If I teach the Empress, will there be a reward?"
Even though nothing had been done yet, in this atmosphere, Wen Miao felt a slight warmth on her ears and cheeks. She slowly put down her cup, looked at the much taller emperor standing before her, and softly asked:
"Your Majesty, may you lower yourself a little?"
"certainly--"
Emperor Qian Yuan did not bow down, but instead squatted down, letting the hem of his dragon-patterned robe touch the ground, showing no concern for the so-called imperial majesty.
Wen Miao, on the other hand, had long been used to the way Emperor Qian Yuan looked up at her—that was how he often did it.
He would kneel down to straighten her skirt, half-kneel to put on her shoes, and lie on the dimly lit couch, gently rubbing her overly high nose bridge from bottom to top while holding her waist...
Wen Miao felt uneasy about her own associations, but thinking of the "reward" the emperor had mentioned, she suppressed her emotions slightly, cupped Emperor Qian Yuan's angular face, lowered her head slightly, and took the initiative to kiss the other's forehead.
She rarely takes the initiative, which makes her all the more precious and rare.
Emperor Qianyuan paused for a moment, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, as if he were savoring the moment.
But Wen Miao thought that the emperor felt the "reward" was not enough.
So the soft-hearted yet generous voluptuous beauty bit her lip and pondered for a moment, then lowered her head again and very lightly kissed the other's nose, as if adding weight to the stakes. Seeing that Emperor Qian Yuan was still stunned, she had no choice but to tremblingly move the kiss even lower.
—It's the lips.
The emperor, half-squatting on the ground, resembled a giant dog. His breathing suddenly became heavy for a moment, and a hint of aggression emanated from his body. However, he stopped Wen Miao in time when she tried to back away. He carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, tilted his head back, and, imitating Wen Miao, kissed her very lightly.
Finally, he leaned back, looked at Wen Miao's reddened lips and cheeks, and smiled contentedly.
"I am very pleased with the reward the Empress gave me."
"This can be considered the Empress's tuition fee, but from now on... Miaomiao might have to call me 'Master'?"
Wen Miao's fingertips trembled slightly, and her lips seemed to still retain the warmth of Emperor Qian Yuan's body. She couldn't help but gently push him away, saying somewhat awkwardly that she was going to check on Chen Wanqiu and would come back later.
...
The emperor's power is absolute, especially for emperors like Emperor Qianyuan who are not constrained by powerful families and have a great deal of freedom. In the short time it took to wave his hand, Princess Rui, who had the title of noblewoman, was locked up by her servants as if she were a criminal.
Even Prince Rui, who was later informed by the Grand Eunuch Xu Sheng, didn't dare to utter a sound, and only respectfully said that he would leave it to His Majesty to decide.
The Emperor can investigate whatever he wants, and punish whomever he pleases. Prince Rui doesn't care much about the Zhao family.
The two were only betrothed by their parents. Zhao looked down on him, thinking he was lecherous and cowardly, and he also looked down on Zhao for her ruthless methods. Since the birth of their eldest son, he had avoided her and indulged in his own women.
Of the late emperor's dozen or so sons, Prince Rui was not very capable. The greatest thing he did in his life was to stand behind Emperor Qianyuan on the day of the palace coup.
When the current emperor ascended the throne, he became a leisurely prince. Although he was lustful, he never forced women into prostitution. The twenty-odd beauties in his harem were all willing to stay by his side, and some of them were young women redeemed from brothels.
He sought pleasure, and they sought stability; wasn't this a transaction? Therefore, when Prince Rui learned that Emperor Qianyuan was going to investigate the Zhao family, he was not worried that the fire would spread to him; in fact, he was happy to watch the spectacle.
For over twenty years, Prince Rui still harbored resentment towards Zhao for killing the servant who had grown up with him in his courtyard while he was away. However, because of her status as a princess recognized by the royal family, the phrase "the servant offended his master" made everything seem perfectly reasonable.
For someone as incompetent and powerless as Prince Rui, there was no way for him to resist. Even when he was still a prince, he was forced by his unfavored mother to repeatedly apologize to Zhao and act subserviently.
Because Zhao was born into a prominent family, and in the first few years after she married him, the family had not yet completely declined due to the imperial examinations, and Emperor Qianyuan had not yet fully seized power. Therefore, at that time, the world, to some extent, did not belong solely to the Emperor of Great Chu, but also to all the prominent families.
But things are different now. Now the whole world belongs to Emperor Qian Yuan. As for those arrogant aristocratic families from the past... they should have been keeping their tails between their legs long ago.
Therefore, when Xu Sheng brought the Prince Rui's reply to Emperor Qianyuan, this unpredictable emperor simply chuckled softly.
Although his elder brother was foolish and cowardly, at least he could see the situation clearly, so he could just continue to be a leisurely prince.
Emperor Qianyuan called out "Come out" from the empty side room of the temple.
Soon, the Shadow Guards, who were always protecting the emperor, appeared, kneeling on the ground, awaiting orders from their lord.
The emperor spoke lazily: "Compile all the information concerning Princess Rui and present it to me."
Yingyi said in a hoarse voice, "Yes," but before he could carry out the order, he heard his master say, "Wait."
The shadow knelt back down, somewhat puzzled: "My lord?"
Emperor Qianyuan propped his head up, his eyes appearing somewhat obscure in the dim light of the room. After a brief silence, he said, "Sift it before presenting it. Skip over some of the dirty stuff. Don't frighten the Empress. Be careful with the details."
"Yes, I understand."
Even though Emperor Qianyuan wanted to offer up power so that Wen Miao could choose and use it at will, he worried before acting that those things would offend the Empress's eyes.
Since he's here, there's nothing for Wen Miao to worry about.
As Emperor Qianyuan gave orders to the Chengying Guards, Wen Miao pushed open the door on the other side of the room. Just as she stepped over the threshold, she saw Chen Wanqiu, who had washed up and changed her clothes, kneeling down abruptly with red eyes.
Wen Miao quickly helped the person up, and as she held the other person's trembling arm, a thought flickered in her mind, and she asked softly, "...Do you want to go home?"
Go back to where you came from, back to Qu County in Qingzhou, and end this nightmare that happened in the capital.
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Author's Note: How can this not be considered an ancient version of teacher-student play? [Please!]
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